‎MARINE CODE OF CONDUCT - ‎
‎Skibs-articler saavel for Ober- og Under-officerer, som for alle og enhver, gemeene og andre, der fare paa de coffardie-skibe, som seyle til West-Indien, Guinea, samt Middel-havet, eller paa lange reyser om de West. - [DANISH NAVAL AND MERCHANT MARINE CODE OF CONDUCT]‎

‎Kiöbenhavn, August Friderich Stein, 1777. 4to. In later marbled paper covered board with cloth backstrip. Small stamp to verso of front board and title-page. Last blank leaf with 16-line agreement in contemporary fine legible hand, signed and sealed (Waterschout), dated December 8, 1780. Internally nice and clean. Printed on good paper. 56 pp, (1) pp. ‎

Reference : 62566

‎Extremely rare first edition of the official Danish naval and merchant marine code of conduct - laying out the articles of agreement for both officers and common sailors engaged in long-distance trading voyages, especially to colonial outposts in the West Indies, Guinea, the Mediterranean – in this particular case dated 8 December 1780, officially certifying that these “Kongelige allernaadigste Skibs-Articler” were read aloud to the crew of the frigate by its commanding officer, Captain Diderich von Holsten, prior to departure for Tranquebar (the Danish colony in India). The certification notes the ship's weapons (138 cannon) and states that the crew had acknowledged the articles and promised to observe them on the voyage and until the ship's return. The document is signed by Captain Diderich von Holsten and the Waterschout (including his red seal) (from Dutch, “water inspector”), a Danish official, established in 1695, responsible for registering all seafarers departing from Copenhagen on merchant voyages. Documents like these had a very practical purpose and were considered of the utmost importance, and were kept in offcial archives, consequently, they almost never finds their way into the trade. Biblioteca Danica I, 680.‎